MONTGOMERY, Alabama --- As expected, Montgomery County Circuit Judge Charles Price issued an order today in favor of Louise Alexander in her effort to remain on the ballot in the race for District 56 in the Alabama House of Representatives.

McAdory later complained to the attorney general's office that Alexander had not properly filed all her qualifying papers before the election.

Bennett, relying on information he received from the attorney general's office and the Ethics Commission, notified the state Democratic Party last week that he could not certify Alexander for the November ballot because she had not filed her statement of economic interests with the Ethics Commission until July 22.

Alexander filed a lawsuit on Monday, arguing that she had filed the statement with the state Democratic Party when she qualified to run for the office on Feb. 6. Alexander said that met her obligation under the law, and that the party was responsible for filing the statement with the Ethics Commission within five days. Price agreed.

Bennett had argued that the law required the candidate to file the statement with the Ethics Commission, not just the party.

"The real issue is whether the public has a right to know a candidate's financial status, including any potential conflicts, before the candidate appears on the ballot," Bennett said in a statement today. "I believe our current ethics law is weak in this regard and should be revised."

The judge wrote that the Democratic Party was at fault. It "failed to comply with its statutory obligation" to forward Alexander's statement to the Ethics Commission, Price wrote.

James Anderson, lawyer for the state Democratic Party, said the party's policy has been to obtain a copy of the statement of economic interests when candidates qualify and then to ask candidates to check a box on a form saying they would file it with the Ethics Commission within five days.

He said the policy has worked well with most candidates. Anderson said he thought Bennett's proposal to clarify the law was a good idea.

"It's not a clear statute," Anderson said.

Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said most GOP candidates file their statements directly with the Ethics Commission, but he said the party forwards the statement to the commission maybe 10 percent of the time.

"We feel like the more appropriate thing to do is for them to send it directly," Armistead said. He said he would be in favor of clarifying the law.

Bennett said Ethics Commission Director Jim Sumner agrees that the law should be clarified. He said he would work with Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville, on a fix.

In disqualifying Alexander, Bennett had relied on an attorney general opinion that he could not certify a candidate if he had knowledge that she had not properly filed all her qualifying papers.